What does "Test archives" mean?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hey,

Whenever you do a scan you can check the option “Test archives”, what difference does that make? Could any1 explain in simple terms? Should I always have it checked?

Best regards

2

That means that the scanner will unpack and scan the contents of compressed files like .zip or .rar. The scan will take longer if you have this checked and it’s more of a personal preference really. A virus inside a .zip file is not a threat until it is uncompressed and executed.

3

But I think the scan will be more accurate right :slight_smile: ?

4

Not more accurate; just more likely to detect files that are packed and thus inert until unpacked.
It’s a useful scan to do maybe once when first installing an AV, to ensure (as best as possible) a “clean state”.
An infected file within an archive needs to be unpacked before it can run. It should be detected by the standard shield when it is accessed.